


A Gem

by Mikkaelin



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: -insert keymash-, And I just, Fluff, Friendship, Khadan Geneq, Mikha Tayuune, My friend and I have Headcanons about our characters, bc friends are awesome, i guess?, we were discussing stuff and inspiration hit, what am I doing with my life, what even is tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25022308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikkaelin/pseuds/Mikkaelin
Summary: Khadan is a gem and Mikha appreciates having him in her life.AKAA short little fic I wrote about my character Mikha and my friend's character Khadan after discussing their personal lore and their potential interactions.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	A Gem

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sildrael](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sildrael/gifts).



> So this evolved from a discussion about drawing our characters to a mental image I was thinking of drawing, with Mikha in a field of flowers, and then it kind of randomly grew and connected to this one "random" encounter we had in-game, where I was playing Fetch™ in Coerthas and out of nowhere a wild Dragoon (who was playing Spot the Sprout) appeared, jump-killed this toad I'd been fighting, and then proceeded to follow me around for the next I don't even know how long. 
> 
> Bless you, Sildrael! <3

Another series of jobs took Mikha to the Central Highlands of Coerthas, the "Capital of Cold and Snow", as she liked to call it. It had seemed like a good idea at first. Mikha liked snow. She found Gridanian winters to be just the right amount of long and cold. But everything had limits and after merely a week of constant snow and cold unlike anything she remembered ever experiencing, she had long reached hers. Still, the jobs she had accepted had to be done. Sometimes she cursed the fact that things cost money.

It was sometime during her second week of freezing her tail off on a trip into the cold to fetch something or another for some stuck up guard at the Gates of Judgement that she ran into Khadan. Or Khadan ran into her. She wasn't sure. They met by chance. Or at least she thought they did. She didn't know why he was there. He didn't say. She didn't ask. For all she knew, it could have been intentional, but let's not read too deeply into it. 

He tagged along for the rest of the trip that day. And the trip the next day. And the one the day after. He was free, he had said, might as well keep her company. She was glad for it. It made the dull fetch jobs a little less dull. Okay, quite a bit less dull. He was good company and she rather liked hanging out with him. Not to mention she was deeply impressed by his skill with bow and spear. It was fascinating to watch him in action.

About two weeks into her stay in Coerthas, several days after Khadan had decided to join her, and after what felt like the twentieth job that consisted purely of "go to this place and bring back that", Mikha was just about ready to smack a lord. In the face. With a stone. _Hard._

The white landscapes were breathtaking at first, but she'd quickly grown accustomed to them and now the blank vastness of the area and the frost in the air were getting to her. 

Khadan was a gem. He helped her however he could, distracted her with chatter when she was about to space out from the monotony of her surroundings, joked with her when she started slipping into a bad mood, made her smile with tales of his adventuring mishaps. He was just about the only thing around keeping her sane — aside from her dear Chocobo Yola, but Yola didn't exactly talk — and she did not want him to think her a wuss, so she voiced no complaints. And she didn't have to. 

It was that very day, after returning from the trip into what she had by then lovingly dubbed the "Frozen Wasteland", that Khadan suggested taking a break for a day. She wasn't sure at first. She still had work to do. Not time sensitive, sure, but work nonetheless. 

_All work and no play makes Mikha a dull cat_ , he'd taunted with that signature smirk. _Come on, I'm sure you could use it. Just come with me._

If Mikha was being fair, she really could use some rest. A break from all that mind-numbing back and forth. She wasn't too keen on going back out again on a day off, but he kept insisting until she gave in. Oh, what the heck, sure. _Besides, it's Khadan. He probably knows what he's doing, right?_

So they went out into the cold yet again. They turned towards a path she hadn't previously taken. She didn't know where they were going. He didn't say. She didn't ask. But he would probably know what he was doing, right? After all, he had traveled and seen so much more than her. He must have had a plan, right? 

The frosty whiteness stretched out everywhere around them, broken only by the occasional patch of snow-covered trees or a grey mountain wall. It was driving her insane. White, white, white. White everywhere. For a moment she considered dying her own white and red mage robes a deep blood red color. Or maybe a light sky blue. Would a vibrant Chocobo yellow be better? If she never saw this much snow again, it would still be too soon. 

If Khadan noticed her inner turmoil, he said nothing of it. He kept walking, making an occasional quip that only resulted in a dispirited hum or a nonchalant grunt where otherwise there would be a laugh or maybe a playful remark in return. 

Eventually, he stopped in front of what seemed like a frozen pond. Mikha wasn't sure where they were at this point. Everything looked the same. White and dull. She almost ran into him but caught herself just in time. Placing a hand on her shoulder when she walked up beside him, he gently turned her in the direction he was looking and pointed to something on the ground in front of them. 

Mikha was confused at first. She shot him a look. What was he pointing at? It was all white from what she could see. He merely smiled and again jerked his head at the spot he was still pointing at. 

She frowned, shrugged, took a step forward and crouched down into the snow. Maybe she'd get a better look at whatever it was he was pointing at this way? 

It took her a moment, but now that she looked closer, she noticed something peeking out from under the heavy blanket of white. She carefully pushed some snow away. Her eyes widened at what she was seeing and she started clearing away even more snow, still just as careful, but with more haste. The newly revealed green was a stark contrast against the endless white and more than a welcome sight. 

_Flowers! In this cold!_

What seemed like a Frozen Wasteland was capable of sustaining life and beauty after all!

Just like that, her spirits were lifted, her eyes shining with excitement once more. She felt giddy at this new discovery and let out a pleased laugh. _How amazing!_

She hadn't even realized how grumpy she'd gotten until that moment.

A little voice inside her head whispered that she shouldn't be so excited about mere flowers, what was she, a child? If he didn't before, Khadan was sure to find her silly now after seeing how easily she got excited, and about something as dumb as the sight of flowers in the snow too, even if he _was_ the one to show it to her. Surely he must think her a fool. 

She didn't want those thoughts to be right and to sour her sudden and unexpected good mood, but she had to see for herself. 

Surely he wouldn't laugh at her, right? He was so kind. 

He wouldn't make fun of her … right?

She stood and cautiously turned around, her bright smile almost gone, replaced by an insecure almost-frown. 

But the kind smile on his lips and the gentle look in his eyes were enough to make her own bright grin return immediately. 

She'd been right after all. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing. He really was a gem. 

She felt her heart skip a beat in that moment.


End file.
